The Saudi Ministry of Sports announced that the Kingdom will host the Professional Fighters League (PFL) finals for the 2024 season. The finals, set for Friday, November 29, 2024, will take place in Riyadh, showcasing elite global fighters. The Saudi Mixed Martial Arts Federation, the Ministry, and the global PFL organization will manage the event.
The event will be held outside the United States for the first time.
Event Highlights and Prize Details
The finals will feature six major bouts across various weight classes: heavyweight, light heavyweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, and women’s flyweight. The event boasts a $6 million prize pool, awarding $1 million to each winner of the six main fights.
In the heavyweight title fight, Russian fighters Denis Goltsov and Oleg Popov will clash. The lightweight title match will feature Russia’s Gadzhi Rabadanov against American Brent Primus. For the welterweight title, Magomed Umalatov faces fellow Russian Shamil Musaev. American Impa Kasanganay will challenge Turkmenistan’s Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov for the light heavyweight belt. England’s Brendan Loughnane battles Russia’s Timur Khizriev for the featherweight title. In the women’s bantamweight category, England’s Dakota Ditcheva meets Brazil’s Taila Santos.
Middle East and North Africa Finals
The event will also host the inaugural Middle East and North Africa PFL finals. Saudi fighter Hattan Al-Saif will make history as the first Saudi woman to compete in a global PFL event. Her opponent for the women’s atomweight category will be announced soon.
Other matchups include Kuwaiti Mohammed Al-Aqraa versus Egyptian Omar El-Dafrawy in the middleweight category. Lebanese George Eid will face Iranian Mohsen Mohammadseifi in the lightweight division. Egyptian Islam Reda goes against Jordanian Abdulrahman Al-Hayassat in the featherweight bout. Lastly, Moroccan Rachid El-Hazoumi will fight Sweden’s Ali Taleb in the bantamweight class.
Saudi Arabia’s Sporting Vision
The PFL follows a distinctive sports season format. Fighters compete globally in a regular season, with the top four advancing to playoffs. The finalists from each category will then compete for the championship title.
This event underscores Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in global sports, hosting major international competitions. It aligns with Vision 2030’s goals to establish the Kingdom as a premier global sports hub, attracting athletes and fans worldwide.